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Kyaralath
Geography Dry through the Summer months and blanketed in snow come Winter, Kyaralath is nevertheless a region of great agricultural value. In the West of Kyaralath stands the Veiled Wood, a vast forest of redwoods, often shrouded in fog. The trees here are among some of the tallest in the world, their height simply astonishing to those who have never seen their like before. The local people consider the forest to be protected by a curse and simply not worth the trouble to attempt to bring the trees down. Nevertheless, they make the occasional trip within to search for rare "ghost trees", stunted dwarf versions of the trees around them that have leaves of pure white. It is their belief that the leaves of such trees are an antidote to most poisons. In the centre of Kyaralath lie the Plains of Kyara. Nestled between the mountains and a great forest in the East, its soils are rich and support a variety of crops. Come the Spring, the rolling hills of the Plains are covered with a veritable rainbow of poppies known as Somnora that grow wherever the land is not otherwise occupied. Small stands of trees grow nestled between the hills and along the rivers. The mountains of Kyaralath are known for exposed formations of crystal, but none is more wondrous than the Dazzling Crevasse. This long crack in the mountains is filled with possibly millions of tiny, frail, light refracting crystals that become blinding when the Sun is directly overhead. People wishing to see this wonder of the world should best schedule their visit before or after the display reaches full brilliance to preserve their eyesight. Settlements While the majority of the inhabitants of Kyaralath are farmers, there exist a number of towns and cities, the most significant of which are Gran Kyara, the capital and seat of The Wise, and San Carasan, site of Carasan's Temple. People The people of Kyaralath, the Kyarans are humans of average height with skin that is neither light nor dark and hair that is brown in various shades. Their eyes are usually a copper colour. Of note however, is that their blood is poisonous to most other creatures by virtue of a colourless copper bearing substance in their blood. Contrary to common conception, their health is in no way affected by this. The people prefer simple attire, short tunics and trousers in soft greys and blues and un-dyed woollen cloaks. On feast days and harvest festivals however, they break out their finest clothes, dyed in all colours of the rainbow in vivid patterns. Both men and women wear poppies in their hair, preferring fresh flowers in the warm months and dried in the Winter. The Wise and priests usually tend to wear plain white robes when performing the duties of their office, but are otherwise indistinguishable from the rest of the population. The land is traditionally governed from Gran Kyara by a council of men and women known as The Wise. Any can sit of this council once they have passed the necessary tests set down in their sacred annals and known only to The Wise. Resources Across the Plains of Kyara, vast quantites of Somnora (good) grow wild. These poppies have a number of uses, medical and otherwise. For medicinal purpose, a tincture is made from them which is then used as a potent analgesic, anaesthetic and antitussive. In addition, they are gathered and dried so that they can be smoked by the Kyarans who find the experience almost transcendental. In higher doses however, vivid hallucinations and nightmares can result. Fortunately, centuries of exposure has left the Kyarans resistant to these negative effects. While having enough metal to fulfil the modest needs of its inhabitants, Kyaralath is almost entirely lacking in Copper, which they desire for both cultural and religious reasons. Religion The Kyarans predominantly worship a god they call Carasan, the Guardian of Blood, who some say dwells at his Temple in the city that bears his name. None can say for certain, but they do know he saved them all from a ravenous dragon in ages past by turning their blood to poison such that the dragon would pass them over or risk death. The priests at his Temple go throughout the land and perform weddings, funerals and christenings, each dutifully recorded for the records of The Wise. References http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=17516815&postcount=9 Category:Regions Category:Regions of Telluris